The 2017 Longines Equestrian Beijing Masters is set to take place from October 13th-15th at the Bird’s Nest, the Olympic Stadium in Beijing, China. In the seventh edition of the tournament, the best Chinese riders will compete against the sport’s top international athletes, with the event culminating in Sunday’s Longines Grand Prix on Sunday, previously won by Switzerland’s Jane Richard Phillips.

“Being able to compete against the best riders in the world at the Beijing Masters in the Olympic stadium is the highlight of the show season for the Chinese show-jumpers,” said Ludger Beerbaum of Germany.

Together with the organisers of CHIO Aachen, Beerbaum has been acting as the co-organiser of the Longines Equestrian Beijing Masters since its inception.

“China has a huge potential for the entire horse industry. However, it still hasn’t completely succeeded in finding its way into the league of top international sport,” said Beerbaum. “Our declared aim is to sustainably promote the development of the jumping sport in this country and ultimately establish a show in Beijing, which corresponds to the highest international standards. The conditions for this improve from year to year and with every Masters we take a further step in this direction.”

Due to Chinese quarantine regulations, the international riders can’t take part with their own mounts, and will instead compete with borrowed horses supplied by China. This is a welcomed change for the top international stars, some of which have been participating at the event for years.

Chinese TV channels BTV Sports, Guangdong Sports and CCTV will be broadcasting live from the Bird’s Nest. Eurosport is broadcasting coverage for Europe in a total 21 languages. The entire show can be followed via livestream at ClipMyHorse.tv.

“[Like Aachen], our goal in Beijing is to stage equestrian sport in a modern-day form, from the live experience on-site, to the classic media and through to the social networks,” said Michael Mronz, General Manager of the Aachener Reitturnier GmbH. “For many Chinese people, the Beijing Masters is a unique opportunity to experience the fascination of horses directly. This is why — in addition to the sporting competitions — we also offer a first-class supporting programme. We would like to position the Beijing Masters as an event which homes in on the existing enthusiasm for the equestrian sport [in China], and further promotes the sport by conveying the highest international standards.”